Board to vote tonight on deal to end long dispute

overwhelmingly the afternoon of May 30 to approve a proposed contract with the Reynolds School District, following a weeklong strike that ended last Saturday.

Joyce Rosenau, president of the 560-member Reynolds Education Association, said 98 percent of the members present at Reynolds High School in Troutdale voted for the deal. She added that she was hopeful the union and the district can repair whatever damage was caused by the strike.

"I'm hoping that what happened in the last few days will turn into the way we do business," she said, noting the cordial tone that marked the last mediation session between both sides.

Meanwhile, the district board is set to vote on the contract later tonight, at Troutdale Elementary School, 648 S.E. Harlow Ave.

The Outlook will share details of the contract in a later story.

Rosenau said the new contract satisfactorily addressed many issues teachers struck over, including preparation time, lay-off policies and pay and benefits.

Classes resumed in the district May 29 after being cancelled May 21-25 during the strike. The district will not be making up its lost days, according to Andrea Watson, Reynolds spokeswoman.

Reynolds teachers and the board began negotiations more than a year ago. The previous contract expired last July, but teachers have been working under its terms this school year.

The final mediation session between the union and the district started at noon May 25 and concluded just after 6 a.m. Saturday, May 26.